Abstract
This article describes a conceptual model of cognitive and emotional processes proposed to mediate the relation between youth exposure to family violence and teen dating violence perpetration. Explicit beliefs about violence, internal knowledge structures, and executive functioning are hypothesized as cognitive mediators, and their potential influences upon one another are described. Theory and research on the role of emotions and emotional processes in the relation between youths’ exposure to family violence and teen dating violence perpetration are also reviewed. We present an integrated model that highlights how emotions and emotional processes work in tandem with hypothesized cognitive mediators to predict teen dating violence.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ackard, D. M., Eisenberg, M. E., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2007). Long-term impact of adolescent dating violence on the behavioral and psychological health of male and female youth. The Journal of Pediatrics, 151(5), 476–481. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2007.04.034.
Agnew, R. (2001). Building on the foundation of general strain theory: Specifying the types of strain most likely to lead to crime and delinquency. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 38, 319–361. doi:10.1177/0022427801038004001.
Anderson, C., & Bushman, B. (2002). Human aggression. Annual Review of Psychology, 53(1), 27–51. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135231.
Anderson, C., Carnagey, N., & Eubanks, J. (2003). Exposure to violent media: The effects of songs with violent lyrics on aggressive thoughts and feelings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(5), 960–971. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.5.960.
Appel, A. E., & Holden, G. W. (1998). The co-occurrence of spouse and physical child abuse: A review and appraisal. Journal of Family Psychology, 12(4), 578–599. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.12.4.578.
Ayduk, O., Downey, G., Testa, A., Ying, Y., & Shoda, Y. (1999). Does rejection elicit hostility in rejection sensitive women? Social Cognition, 17(2), 245–271. doi:10.1521/soco.1999.17.2.245.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Bandura, A. (2001). Social learning theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 1–26. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.1.
Berkowitz, L. (2008). On the consideration of automatic as well as controlled psychological processes in aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 34(2), 117–129. doi:10.1002/ab.20244.
Bookwala, J., Frieze, I. H., Smith, C., & Ryan, K. (1992). Prediction of dating violence: A multivariate analysis. Violence and Victims, 7, 297–311. Retrieved from http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/springer/vav/1992/00000007/00000004/art00003.
Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Tremblay, R. E., & Wanner, B. (2002). Parent and peer effects on delinquency-related violence and dating violence: A test of two mediational models. Social Development, 11(2), 225–244. doi:10.1111/1467-9507.00196.
Breslin, F. C., Riggs, D. S., O’Leary, K. D., & Arias, I. (1990). Family precursors: Expected and actual consequences of dating aggression. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 5(2), 247–258. doi:10.1177/088626090005002008.
Callahan, M. R., Tolman, R. M., & Saunders, D. G. (2003). Adolescent dating violence victimization and psychological well-being. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18(6), 664–681. doi:10.1177/0743558403254784.
Capaldi, D. M., & Gorman-Smith, D. (2003). The development of aggression in young male–female couples. In P. Florsheim (Ed.), Adolescent romantic relations and sexual behavior: Theory, research, and practical implications (pp. 243–278). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Chase, K. A., Treboux, D., O’Leary, K. D., & Strassberg, Z. (1998). Specificity of dating aggression and its justification among high-risk adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26(6), 467–473. doi:10.1023/A:1022651818834.
Clarey, A., Hokoda, A., & Ulloa, E. C. (2010). Anger control and acceptance of violence as mediators in the relationship between exposure to interparental conflict and dating violence perpetration in Mexican adolescents. Journal of Family Violence, 25(7), 619–625. doi:10.1007/s10896-010-9315-7.
Cousins, A. J., & Gangestad, S. W. (2007). Perceived threats of female infidelity, male proprietariness, and violence in college dating couples. Violence and Victims, 22(6), 651–668. doi:10.1891/088667007782793156.
De Bellis, M. D. (2001). Developmental traumatology: The psychobiological development of maltreated children and its implications for research, treatment, and policy. Development and Psychopathology, 13, 539–564.
Dodge, K., & Crick, N. (1990). Social information-processing bases of aggressive behavior in children. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 16(1), 8–22. doi:10.1177/0146167290161002.
Downey, G., & Feldman, S. I. (1996). Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(6), 1327–1343. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.70.6.1327.
Downey, G., Feldman, S. I., & Ayduk, O. (2000). Rejection sensitivity and male violence in romantic relationships. Personal Relationships, 7(1), 45–61. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2000.tb00003.x.
Eaton, D. K., Davis, K. S., Barrios, L., Brener, N. D., & Noonan, R. K. (2007). Associations of dating violence victimization with lifetime participation, co-occurrence, and early initiation of risk behaviors among US high school students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, 585–602. doi:10.1177/0886260506298831.
Edleson, J. L. (1999). The overlap between child maltreatment and woman battering. Violence Against Women, 5(2), 134–154. doi:10.1177/107780129952003.
Ellis, M. L., Weiss, B., & Lochman, J. E. (2009). Executive functions in children: Associations with aggressive behavior and appraisal processing. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 37(7), 945–956. doi:10.1007/s10802-009-9321-5.
Fazio, R. H. (1990). Multiple processes by which attitudes guide behavior: The MODE model as an integrative framework. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 23, pp. 75–109). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Finkel, E. J., DeWall, C. N., Slotter, E. B., Oaten, M., & Foshee, V. A. (2009). Self-regulatory failure and intimate partner violence perpetration. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(3), 483–499. doi:10.1037/a0015433.
Foo, L., & Margolin, G. (1995). A multivariate investigation of dating aggression. Journal of Family Violence, 10(4), 351–377. doi:10.1007/BF02110711.
Foshee, V. A. (1996). Gender differences in adolescent dating abuse prevalence, types, and injuries. Health Education Research, 11, 275–286. doi:10.1093/her/11.3.275.
Foshee, V. A., Bauman, K. E., & Linder, F. (1999). Family violence and the perpetration of adolescent dating violence: Examining social learning and social control processes. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 331–342. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/353752.
Foshee, V. A., Bauman, K. E., Linder, F., Rice, J., & Wilcher, R. (2007). Typologies of adolescent dating violence: Identifying typologies of adolescent dating violence perpetration. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, 498–519. doi:10.1177/0886260506298829.
Foshee, V. A., Linder, F., MacDougall, J., & Bangdiwala, S. (2001). Gender differences in the longitudinal predictors of adolescent dating violence. Preventive Medicine, 32(2), 128–141. doi:10.1006/pmed.2000.0793.
Gratz, K. L., Paulson, A., Jakupcak, M., & Tull, M. T. (2009). Exploring the relationships between childhood maltreatment and intimate partner abuse: Gender differences in the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. Violence and Victims, 24(1), 68–82. doi:10.1891/0886-6708.24.1.68.
Grych, J. H., & Kinsfogel, K. M. (2010). Exploring the role of attachment style in the relation between family aggression and abuse in adolescent dating relationships. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, 19(6), 624–640. doi:10.1080/10926771.2010.502068.
Henton, J., Cate, R., Koval, J., Lloyd, S., & Christopher, S. (1983). Romance and violence in dating relationships. Journal of Family Issues, 4(3), 467–482. doi:10.1177/019251383004003004.
Hickman, L. J., Jaycox, L. H., & Aronoff, J. (2004). Dating violence among adolescents: Prevalence, gender distribution, and prevention program effectiveness. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 5(2), 123–142. doi:10.1177/1524838003262332.
Huesmann, L. R. (1988). An information processing model for the development of aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 14, 13–24. doi:10.1002/1098-2337(1988)14:1<13:AID-AB2480140104>3.0.CO;2-J.
Huesmann, L. R. (1998). The role of social information processing and cognitive schema in the acquisition and maintenance of habitual aggressive behavior. In R. G. Geen & E. Donnerstein (Eds.), Human aggression: Theories, research, and implications for social policy (pp. 73–109). New York: Academic Press.
Jakupcak, M., Lisak, D., & Roemer, L. (2002). The role of masculine ideology and masculine gender role stress in men’s perpetration of relationship violence. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 3(2), 97–106. doi:10.1037/1524-9220.3.2.97.
Jezl, D. R., Molidor, C. E., & Wright, T. L. (1996). Physical, sexual and psychological abuse in high school dating relationships: Prevalence rates and self-esteem issues. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 13, 69–87. doi:10.1007/BF01876596.
Jouriles, E. N., Brown, A. S., McDonald, R., Rosenfield, D., Leahy, M. M., & Silver, C. (2008). Intimate partner violence and preschoolers’ explicit memory functioning. Journal of Family Psychology, 22(3), 420–428. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.22.3.420.
Jouriles, E. N., Garrido, E., Rosenfield, D., & McDonald, R. (2009). Experiences of psychological and physical aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: Links to psychological distress. Child Abuse and Neglect, 33, 451–460. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.11.005.
Jouriles, E. N., Grych, J. H., Rosenfield, D., McDonald, R., & Dodson, M. C. (2011). Automatic cognitions and teen dating violence. Psychology of Violence, 1, 302–314. doi:10.1037/a0025157.
Jouriles, E. N., McDonald, R., Garrido, E., Rosenfield, D., & Brown, A. (2005). Assessing aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: Can we do it better? Psychological Assessment, 17(4), 469–475. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.17.4.469.
Jouriles, E. N., Norwood, W. D., McDonald, R., Vincent, J. P., & Mahoney, A. (1996). Physical violence and other forms of marital aggression: Links with children’s behavior problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 10, 223–234. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.10.2.223.
Jouriles, E. N., Wolfe, D. A., Garrido, E. F., & McCarthy, A. (2006). Relationship violence. In D. A. Wolfe & E. J. Mash (Eds.), Behavioral and emotional disorders in adolescents: Nature, assessment, and treatment (pp. 621–641). New York: Guilford Press.
Kinsfogel, K. M., & Grych, J. H. (2004). Interparental conflict and adolescent dating relationships: Integrating cognitive, emotional, and peer influences. Journal of Family Psychology, 18(3), 505–515. doi:10.1037/0893-3200.18.3.505.
Lichter, E. L., & McCloskey, L. A. (2004). The effects of childhood exposure to marital violence on adolescent gender-role beliefs and dating violence. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28(4), 344–357. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2004.00151.x.
Malamuth, N. M., Sockloskie, R. J., Koss, M. P., & Tanaka, J. S. (1991). Characteristics of aggressors against women: Testing a model using a national sample of college students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59(5), 670–681. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.59.5.670.
McDonald, R., Jouriles, E. N., Tart, C. D., & Minze, L. C. (2009). Children’s adjustment problems in families characterized by men’s severe violence toward women: Does other family violence matter? Child Abuse and Neglect, 33, 94–101. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.03.005.
Molidor, C., & Tolman, R. M. (1998). Gender and contextual factors in adolescent dating violence. Violence Against Women, 4(2), 180–194. doi:10.1177/1077801298004002004.
Moretti, M. M., Obsuth, I., Odgers, K. L., & Reebye, P. (2006). Exposure to maternal vs. paternal partner violence, PTSD, and aggression in adolescent girls and boys. Aggressive Behavior, 32(4), 385–395. doi:10.1002/ab.20137.
Morgan, A. B., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (2000). A meta-analytic review of the relation between antisocial behavior and neuropsychological measures of executive function. Clinical Psychology Review, 20(1), 113–136. doi:10.1016/S0272-7358(98)00096.
Muehlenhard, C. L., & Linton, M. A. (1987). Date rape and sexual aggression in dating situations: Incidence and risk factors. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34(2), 186–196. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.34.2.186.
O’Leary, K. D., Smith Slep, A. M., Avery-Leaf, S., & Cascardi, M. (2008). Gender differences in dating aggression among multiethnic high school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 42, 473–479. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.09.012.
O’Keefe, M. (1997). Predictors of dating violence among high school students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12(4), 546–568. doi:10.1177/088626097012004005.
Ozer, E. J., Tschann, J. M., Pasch, L. A., & Flores, E. (2004). Violence perpetration across peer and partner relationships: Co-occurrence and longitudinal patterns among adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 34, 64–71. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2002.12.001.
Patterson, C. M., & Newman, J. P. (1993). Reflectivity and learning from aversive events: Toward a psychological mechanism for the syndromes of disinhibition. Psychological Review, 100(4), 716–736. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.100.4.716.
Pears, K., & Fisher, P. A. (2005). Developmental, cognitive, and neuropsychological functioning in preschool-aged foster children: Associations with prior maltreatment and placement history. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 26(2), 112–122. doi:10.1097/00004703-200504000-00006.
Purdie, V., & Downey, G. (2000). Rejection sensitivity and adolescent girls’ vulnerability to relationship-centered difficulties. Child Maltreatment, 5(4), 338–349. doi:10.1177/1077559500005004005.
Riggs, D. S., & Caulfield, M. B. (1997). Expected consequences of male violence against their female dating partners. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12(2), 229–241. doi:10.1177/088626097012002005.
Riggs, D. S., & O’Leary, K. D. (1989). A theoretical model of courtship aggression. In M. A. Pirog-Good & J. E. Stets (Eds.), Violence in dating relationships: Emerging social issues (pp. 53–71). New York: Praeger.
Riggs, D., & O’Leary, K. D. (1996). Aggression between heterosexual dating partners: An examination of a causal model of courtship aggression. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 11(4), 519–540. doi:10.1177/088626096011004005.
Rosso, I. M., Young, A. D., Femia, L. A., & Yurgelun-Todd, D. A. (2004). Cognitive and emotional components of frontal lobe functioning in childhood and adolescence. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1021, 355–362. doi:10.1196/annals.1308.045.
Schatz, J. N., Smith, L. E., Borkowski, J. G., Whitman, T. L., & Keogh, D. A. (2008). Maltreatment risk, self-regulation, and maladjustment in at-risk children. Child Abuse and Neglect, 32, 972–982. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.09.001.
Séguin, J. R., Pihl, R. O., Harden, P. W., Tremblay, R. E., & Boulerice, B. (1995). Cognitive and neuropsychological characteristics of physically aggressive boys. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104(4), 614–624. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.104.4.614.
Shields, A., & Cicchetti, D. (1998). Reactive aggression among maltreated children: The contributions of attention and emotion dysregulation. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 27(4), 381–395. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2704_2.
Smith, J. P., & Williams, J. G. (1992). From abusive household to dating violence. Journal of Family Violence, 7(2), 153–165. doi:10.1007/BF00978703.
Strack, F., & Deutsch, R. (2004). Reflective and impulsive determinants of social behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8, 220–247. doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0803_1.
Taft, C. T., Schumm, J., Orazem, R. J., Meis, L., & Pinto, L. A. (2010). Examining the link between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and dating aggression perpetration. Violence and Victims, 25(4), 456–469. doi:10.1891/0886-6708.25.4.456.
Todorov, A., & Bargh, J. A. (2002). Automatic sources of aggression. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 7(1), 53–68. doi:10.1016/S1359-1789(00)00036-7.
Wekerle, C., Leung, E., Wall, A. M., MacMillan, H., Boyle, M., Trocme, N., et al. (2009). The contribution of childhood emotional abuse to teen dating violence among child protective services-involved youth. Child Abuse and Neglect, 33, 45–58. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.12.006.
Wekerle, C., & Wolfe, D. A. (1999). Dating violence in mid-adolescence: Theory, significance, and emerging prevention initiatives. Clinical Psychology Review, 19(4), 435–456.
Wekerle, C., Wolfe, D. A., Hawkins, D. L., Pittman, A., Glickman, A., & Lovald, B. E. (2001). Childhood maltreatment, posttraumatic stress symptomatology, and adolescent dating violence: Considering the value of adolescent perceptions of abuse and a trauma mediational model. Development and Psychopathology, 13, 847–871. doi:10.1016/S0272-7358(98)00091-9.
Wolf, K. A., & Foshee, V. A. (2003). Family violence, anger expression styles, and adolescent dating violence. Journal of Family Violence, 18(6), 309–316. doi:10.1023/A:1026237914406.
Wolfe, D. A., Scott, K. L., & Crooks, C. V. (2005). Abuse and violence in adolescent girls’ dating relationships. In D. J. Bell, S. L. Foster, & E. J. Mash (Eds.), Handbook of behavioral and emotional problems in girls (pp. 381–414). New York: Kluwer.
Wolfe, D. A., Scott, K., Wekerle, C., & Pittman, A. L. (2001). Child maltreatment: Risk of adjustment problems and dating violence in adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(3), 282–289. doi:10.1097/00004583-200103000-00007.
Wolfe, D., Wekerle, C., Scott, K., Straatman, A., & Grasley, C. (2004). Predicting abuse in adolescent dating relationships over 1 year: The role of child maltreatment and trauma. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 113(3), 406–415. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.113.3.406.
Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B., Ruggiero, K. J., Danielson, C. K., Resnick, H. S., Hanson, R. F., Smith, D. W., et al. (2008). Prevalence and correlates of dating violence in a national sample of adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 7, 755–762. doi:10.1097/CHI.0b013e318172ef5f.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by Centers for Disease Control grant R01 CE001432, awarded to Ernest N. Jouriles and Renee McDonald.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jouriles, E.N., McDonald, R., Mueller, V. et al. Youth Experiences of Family Violence and Teen Dating Violence Perpetration: Cognitive and Emotional Mediators. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 15, 58–68 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-011-0102-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-011-0102-7